The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld lower-court decisions that human cancer tissue collected by a former researcher at Washington University in St. Louis belongs to the university, not the researcher.

The justices today let stand district-court and appellate-court rulings that had sided with the university. As is customary, the court did not issue a ruling or otherwise explain its action.

The former Washington University researcher, William J. Catalona, had argued that the samples he collected from thousands of patients belonged to him. He moved to Northwestern University in 2003.

Washington University filed the lawsuit after thousands of Dr. Catalona’s patients asked that their tissues be sent to Dr. Catalona. The lower courts ruled that the tissues belonged to Washington University and that the patients had relinquished their rights to the tissue.

In a written statement, the university said the court’s action would “protect donors from unregulated and potentially conflicting solicitations for their donated tissues.” —Katherine Mangan